What happened to Samsung SmartThings for TV?

2 years ago, Samsung announced that SmartThings – its IoT platform – was coming to TVs. The dongle would be offered free-of-charge with high-end TVs but nothing has happened. Samsung now admits that the dongle was abandoned for “security reasons”. The situation has also taken a bizarre twist.

SmartThings was not secure

It all started in January 2016 at CES. Samsung unveiled a plan to connect TVs to the smart home via its SmartThings platform. The company demonstrated how TVs would become capable of unlocking doors, connect to cameras, and dim the lights in your living room.

The dongle was supposed to be free with the purchase of a Samsung high-end TV but it never made its way customers.

The company now admits that it abandoned the plan for “security reasons”.

- ”Samsung’s SmartThing Extend dongle for Europe was not launched due to security reasons,” Samsung wrote in a statement to FlatpanelsHD (translated).

A bizarre twist

The tale of the SmartThings Extend dongle has taken a bizarre twist. After the customer became aware that Samsung had launched a SmartThings dongle for the Nvidia Shield, he bought one.

- ”But there was something nagging me about the appearance of the dongle. There was a sticker on the front that seemed out place. After peeling the sticker off, I was greeted with the sight of a SmartThings Extend,” he wrote.

The dongle that should have been in the hands of Samsung TV owners is now being sold to owners of Nvidia Shield. Samsung TVs recognize the dongle but it is not fully functional.

He believes that Samsung has engaged in “false advertising”. Another customer also warned about “false advertising” at the SmartThings forum in February 2017.

- “I would argue that there is a case to be made that Samsung sold some 2016 SUHD TVs based on false advertising, as some purchasers may have bought the TV on the expectation that it would function as an IoT hub after a future update.“

So we asked Samsung about the launch plans for the dongle.

- ”There is no date for the launch of SmartThings for Samsung Smart TV,” the company said (translated).

The company will take the stage at CES 2018 in Las Vegas next month to unveil next year’s TV line-up.